15. Addison
15
Addison
E ven with all the excitement of her date with Noel, Addison hadn’t been able to get Claire and her mystery man off her mind. Not because she wanted to know the guy’s name, but because she was so curious about what kind of man Claire would be attracted to. In all the years Addison had lived in Autumn Lake, her friend had never dated anyone; at least not that she was aware of. She often did things with male friends, but Addison had never seen Claire romantically attached to anyone.
She’d called Claire that morning before work to tell her all about her date with Noel, and they’d talked so long, they’d both been almost late to work. Addison wanted to know more about her friend’s budding romance, so Claire suggested she come by the shop for supper.
“I’ll bring chicken corn chowder and peasant bread,” Addison offered, knowing her friend wouldn’t say no to that. Claire did not excel in the kitchen, and she’d be the first to admit it. “And I’ll stay to help you close for the night, too."
“I won’t turn down free labor,” Claire told her. “Jen was out sick this afternoon, so Tina and I have extra to do this evening.”
When Noel texted about meeting for dessert at Juno’s, she’d felt a little bereft at already having to put him off, but she wasn’t going to drop all her plans so she could meet him for coffee. Besides, wasn’t she supposed to play a little hard to get, at least at the beginning? Not be too available?
It was another busy night at The Cracked Spine, so Addison put the soup in the fridge in the employee room for Claire to take home with her, then headed back out to see what tasks needed her attention. She found her friend in a section of the shop dedicated to manga and anime, a corner that often got extra after-school abuse from groups of kids who were drawn to the racks of Japanese cartoons and artwork. The two of them worked on different shelves, reorganizing titles that had been perused and put back in the wrong places.
“Does anyone actually buy these?” Addison asked Claire. “Or do they just come in, read it all here, and leave you a mess to clean up after them?”
“They do buy sometimes.” Claire smiled and shrugged. “Usually it’s kids who are teaching themselves to draw and paint in the style, rather than readers, though.” Today, she wore a schoolgirl outfit straight out of a Tim Burton movie. Her uniform-style black dress had a short, flared skirt and a white Peter Pan collar, and she wore black stockings and thick-soled black boots. Her long blonde hair was divided into two braids fastened with black satin ribbons and a matching ribbon tied around her neck. Even more dramatic than her outfit was the dark smudged eye makeup that made her sky blue eyes look enormous and otherworldly.
Claire had the face and figure that allowed her to get away with wearing anything, and that’s exactly what she did. From one day to the next, one could never guess what she’d show up to work in. She drew inspiration from characters in the books in her shop, and whether she dressed as Alice in Wonderland, a Jane Austen character, or Tinkerbell—she even had a markedly female version of a Captain Hook outfit—she always looked amazing. It was clear to anyone who knew her that she loved every part of what she did, from the shop to the books to the readers, all the way down to the in-character clothes she wore.
“But I don’t mind them coming here to spend their afternoons. It’s better than having them sitting at home alone on their phones, don’t you think? Here, they’re reading, socializing, and getting their fill of an art style that doesn’t get a fair shine in their schools.”
“Sure,” Addison acknowledged. “That’s awfully good of you, though. Half of these books and magazines don’t look new anymore. How do you sell them?”
Claire winked at her. “I have new copies in the stockroom. I just keep the roughed-up versions out here. If they’re serious, they’ll ask if I have them in stock.”
“Well, aren’t you a smart cookie,” Addison teased.
“I am, thank you very much.” Claire slid another magazine back into its rightful place. “Speaking of cookies and other delicious treats, how are things going with your resort man? Any updates? Has he called you today?”
Addison rolled her eyes. “Nice segue,” she snarked.
Claire grinned capriciously. “You liked that, huh? But tell me. Are you going out again soon?” She sent Addison a hopeful smile.
Addison told her about the text exchange that afternoon and Claire grabbed her by the shoulders like she was going to shake her. “Wait. You are here working for free when you could be staring moony-eyed at each other over coffee and eclairs at Juno’s? Why didn’t you say anything? You know I would have made you go out with him.”
“Exactly,” Addison said with a wry chuckle. “Juno will still be serving eclairs tomorrow. I want to be here tonight.”
Claire wiggled her eyebrows at her. “Playing hard to get, are we?” She turned back to the shelf she was straightening.
“No,” Addison insisted, although that exact thought had crossed her mind earlier. Even so, playing hard to get was not her reason for being there with Claire instead of out with Noel. It was because, over the last few years, she had discovered just how important her friends were to her, and just how much she’d missed out on by not having girlfriends in her life before now. She wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize those relationships; certainly not by prioritizing a new man in her life over them. “But maybe I’m making sure that I’m not too available,” she said with a half shrug and a crooked smile. “I don’t want to look as desperate as I really am. Hopefully, it won’t backfire on me, though. Make him think I’m not interested.” She shot a sideways glance at her friend, her insecurities billowing up inside of her. She felt so na?ve when it came to the rituals of dating. “You don’t think he’ll find someone else to go out with tonight, do you?”
“Not a chance,” Claire shot back. “First of all, we live in a teeny tiny town, girlie. Options are super limited based on sheer numbers alone. And I know you. No man in his right mind would pass you over for someone else.”
Addison released a wry chuckle. “Ha. Not true. I’ve been passed over more times than you can count. I’m apparently something of a man repellent. Why do you think I’m still single?”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Claire said, cocking her head to look at her. “Wouldn’t you rather be single and happy than in a relationship with someone just for the sake of not being single?”
The way she said it gave Addison pause. It was obvious to those who knew Claire that the woman was quite content in her own single status. She'd once told them all during a Garden Variety Lovers Club meeting when the topic of marriage had come up, “My parents set the bar pretty high for what a relationship should look like, and I’m not willing to compromise my standards. I have high expectations for myself, too—I want to be the best and most whole Claire I can be, someone worthy of the man I’m holding out for."
It was a sentiment that had stuck with Addison, something she thought was a good rule to live by, and not just for whatever man came into her life. She wanted to be the best version of herself for her friends, and for herself, too. There were times, however, more and more often lately, that she ached for something—some one —to pour her love into. She’d experienced such loneliness during her younger years, and now that she had friends and a place where she really belonged, she’d discovered how rich a life she could lead by loving others.
She wanted to come home to someone besides just herself at the end of the day.
But maybe now was not the time to say so.
“Of course, I’d rather be single and happy,” she said in response to Claire’s question. And she meant it, too. She reached over and laid a hand on Claire’s arm. “I may not need a man in my life, but I am so glad I have you and Juno and the rest of the gang. You’re the best friends in the whole wide world.”
Claire grinned, then opened her mouth to say something, when on the other side of the tall book rack, someone cleared his throat. They both froze, exchanging wide-eyed stares. How had they not known they had company?
Addison covered her mouth with one hand, mortified at the thought of someone overhearing their conversation.
Claire mouthed, “It’s okay,” and then slowly eased around the end of the shelf to see who it was, leaving Addison to hide among the comics. “Finding everything all right—oh!” Her tone changed noticeably, growing warm, dulcet. “Well, hello, again.”
“Hi. Again. Forgive me. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”
That voice—could it be? No. No, no, no. Addison didn’t dare peer around the end of the bookshelf to see for herself, but there was no doubt in her mind that it was none other than Noel Stewart in the next aisle over. What on earth was he doing at The Cracked Spine? He’d told her he hadn’t spent any time on this side of the lake, but if the recognition in Claire’s voice was any clue, this was not, by a long shot, the first time he’d been in the bookshop.
“The salesperson at the front was busy with another customer, but she told me I’d find you back here. I didn’t want to interrupt…” His voice trailed off apologetically, and Addison cringed at the thought of what he might have overheard. What had they been saying? Had he heard the part about her being desperate? Playing hard to get? A man repellent?
“These tall shelves give people a false sense of privacy,” came Claire’s engaging reply. “And I, of all people, should know better than to have intimate conversations here.” She finished the statement with a low laugh, a sound that sent a tiny tremor up Addison’s spine. Her friend sounded awfully comfortable—almost intimate, to use Claire’s choice of words—with the man.
Addison squeezed her eyes shut. She should just go home, now. But there was no way out of the manga corner without passing right by Claire and Noel; she’d have to lie low until he left.
“Don’t apologize; you didn’t interrupt. You—my customers—are the reason I exist in this world, and I’m just thrilled that you made it back to my little shop. I’ve been thinking about you and wondering what you thought of the book I recommended.”
Addison sucked in a sharp breath; her worst fears confirmed. “She’s flirting with him,” she moaned behind her hand.
Claire Maitland was flirting—hard—with Noel Stewart. Was he— her Noel—Claire’s mystery man?
“It was excellent,” Noel responded with heartfelt enthusiasm. “Far better than I’d expected. I’m hoping you have the other books in the series.”
Claire murmured something that Addison couldn’t make out. It sounded like they were moving away.
She didn’t want to risk being seen by them, but there was no way she could stay in the store, no way she could talk to Claire about him now. She scooped up the coat that she’d draped over the back of a chair close by and slipped into it, pulling the hood up to obscure her features. Then she crept stealthily to the end of the aisle, hoping to maneuver around the store in the opposite direction they were moving.
“The third book releases later this year, but I’ve got Book Two in stock,” Claire was saying to him. “I’ll take you to them. I’ve moved things around since you were last here.”
“I don’t want to pull you away from—” Noel hesitated, as though not sure how to label what he’d overheard, making Addison squirm in misery . “You can just tell me where to look. I’m sure I can find them on my own.”
“Don’t be silly. Like I said, you are my top priority. Come.”
Addison took another step and peeked around the shelf. Her heart lurched to a painful, juddering stop. Claire’s hand, indeed, rested in the curve of Noel’s elbow, and from Addison’s perspective, her friend looked like she was leaning into the guy. At least walking very close to him.
Addison had turned him down, and now he was here at The Cracked Spine—again, apparently—falling under her friend’s beguiling spell.
And Claire Maitland wasn’t just flirting with him. With her hand tucked into his arm that way, she was all but laying claim to him.